By Junex Doronio

MANILA – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), in partnership with the City Government of Canlaon, announced on Thursday (December 19, 2024) that it has assisted internally displaced persons (IDPs) affected by the Mt. Kanlaon eruption by setting up community kitchens in evacuation centers.

“This effort between the community, LGU, and the DSWD exemplifies the spirit of cooperation and resourcefulness. It not only ensures the efficient use of the goods provided by the Department but also prioritizes the safety of families by reducing the risk of fire hazards associated with individual cooking,” said DSWD Field Office (FO) 7-Central Visayas Assistant Regional Director Tonyson Luther Lee, who is also the FO’s Quick Response Team Vice Chairperson.

According to Noel Morte, one of the IDPs who received the DSWD family food packs (FFPs), he volunteered to cook for those sheltered at Camp 2 in Jose B. Cardenas Memorial High School – Uptown Campus as a way to help the community.

“Nagkasinabot ra mi tanan. Kami ang nagluto para sa pagkaon nila, 700 kapin jud ang amoa gilutuan so naa ra mi pirmente sa kusina. Akoa ra ni kabubut-on sa pagtabang, naa man akoa pamilya og mga igsuon tanan, wala man nagluto dire so ako automatic kami nagluto dire sa area (We all agreed on it. We cook for over 700 people, so we’re always in the kitchen. It’s just my will to help because my family and siblings are all here, and no one else is cooking, so we automatically cook here in the area),” said Morte, a 40-year-old IDP from Brgy. Pula, Canlaon City, staying at Camp 2 in the school’s Uptown Campus.

Morte said the initiative sparked their spirit of bayanihan amid these trying times.

“Wala man jud ko kasulay na daghan ang lutuan. Karon lang ko nakasulay ani, nindot diay, naa diay ang kasadya dire sa evacuation center nga magkausa, magsinabtangay, og para makaluto para sa tanan (I’ve never cooked for so many people. It’s only now that I’ve experienced it, and it’s nice. There’s joy in the evacuation center, where everyone comes together, cooperates, and works together to cook for everyone),” Morte said.

Meanwhile, DSWD FO-7 Regional Director Shalaine Lucero said the Department has intensified its disaster response for the affected families of the Mt. Kanlaon eruption in Negros Oriental.

“The Department has taken proactive measures to ensure that the IDPs in the evacuation centers will have supplies for the next 20 days. Moreover, we are ready to provide more assistance if the operation is extended,” Director Lucero assured the IDPs.

In the Western Visayas Region, disaster response teams of DSWD FO-6, led by Regional Director Arwin Razo, distributed FFPs to displaced families in evacuation centers in Bago City and La Carlota City in Negros Occidental on December 18.

As of press time, the DSWD has extended Php35,646,007 worth of humanitarian assistance to families affected by the Kanlaon volcanic unrest.

ia/mnm